I never thought about a dog retiring, just as I never thought about myself retiring.
Imagine my surprise when I visited my friend, Liz in San Francisco last week to discover that she was retiring her blond seeing-eye Lab, Tiki.
Tiki was making too many mistakes (e.g., bumping into things) which compromised Liz’s safety as a blind person. I too was making too many mistakes before I was forced to retire with Parkinson’s Disease.
I first met Tiki in late October of 2004 when I was employed as coordinator of volunteers at the University of Colorado Hospital. I volunteered to be a dog sitter/walker (and coordinate other dog sitters and walkers) for Tiki when Liz, who traveled from her home in San Francisco, visited her son Eric in the Intensive Care Unit. Liz was not allowed to bring Tiki into the Intensive Care Unit, and I dog sat from 10 AM-3 PM for two months in the volunteer office. Eric nearly died from a rare strep infection that cost him his left arm and shoulder.
On the first day of my assignment, I rolled over svelte 50 pound Tiki to read her dog tag and discovered that she was from the Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California. I was honored to be entrusted with someone’s ability to see and get around in the world.
During her two months stay, Tiki became a celebrity at the hospital. Everywhere I walked on the hospital campus, I heard greetings of “Hi Tiki” surrounding me (never voices of “Hi Kate” even though I had been employed at the hospital for more than five years by then).
On March 10, 2001 Liz formally took Tiki as a partner at the graduation stage of Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael. Tiki has been Liz’s faithful companion ever since. They are a well-traveled pair, spending extended periods in Italy, Japan and the US.
Tiki is retiring with Liz’s daughter and her family on the peninsula south of San Francisco. As Tiki washed my face with kisses when we said goodbye last week, I wanted her to know that there is a good life with retirement and that she, like me, earned and deserved it.
Liz hopes to be graduating with her new dog partner in San Rafael on September 1, 2007.
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